Influence of genotype on the quality of sheep leather

Manuel Antônio Chagas Jacinto,Fernando Alvarenga Reis,Alexandra Rocha De Oliveira,Guilherme Dos Santos Pinto,Charles Ferreira Martins,Fernando Miranda De Vargas Junior

doi:10.1590/s1516-35982011000800029

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of crossings between sheep breeds on the intrinsic quality of leather. It was used the skins of 36 lambs (18 females and 18 males), resulting from crosses between ewes of a native breed from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and rams of the same native breed as well as the Texel and Santa Ines genetic groups. The animals were raised in confinement until slaughter weight, from 28 to 32 kg. After slaughter, samples were taken from the skins for histological analysis. The skins were tanned with chromium, retanned and greased. It was taken from the leather samples for electromicrographs and for tests for tensile and tear strength (intrinsic quality). Morphological aspects from the skin as well as from the leather help to understand the results found and they evidence that breeds or crossings among breeds interfere in the intrinsic quality of leather and skin of sheep.

Highlights

Introduced to Brazil by the colonizers, sheep and goats adapted well to the environmental conditions in the semi-arid regions in the country (Leite & Vasconcelos, 2000), leading to the emergence of some local breeds that, rustic, are not as productive as the original breeds which they developed from (Figueiredo et al, 1990)
It was used the skins of 36 lambs (18 females and 18 males), resulting from crosses between ewes of a native breed from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and rams of the same native breed as well as the Texel and Santa Inês genetic groups
Morphological aspects from the skin as well as from the leather help to understand the results found and they evidence that breeds or crossings among breeds interfere in the intrinsic quality of leather and skin of sheep

Summary

Introduction

Introduced to Brazil by the colonizers, sheep and goats adapted well to the environmental conditions in the semi-arid regions in the country (Leite & Vasconcelos, 2000), leading to the emergence of some local breeds that, rustic, are not as productive as the original breeds which they developed from (Figueiredo et al, 1990) This is the case of sheep native to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which compose a genetic bank that has been relatively underexploited because of their genetic segregation by climate as well as the water regime and vegetation peculiar to the Pantanal region. As part of this research program, undefined breed (UB) animals were acquired from various The skins of these animals are still considered a byproduct by herders and slaughterhouses; they are relegated to a secondary position. The quality of sheep leather is influenced by the breed and age of the animals (intrinsic quality) and by the marks on the skins acquired during the lifetime of the animal (extrinsic quality) (Jacinto et al, 2004)

Objectives

Methods

Results